dreyerda Reviews

Grace and the Storm (2004)

Interesting, but could have been better

[20 March 2004]

Interesting movie about a New York City drug dealer who comes upon a mythical drug 'grace'. The leading male and female actor and actress did a very nice job. In one scene a man is doing 'grace' for the first time. The main character is questioning him from the shadows and the lighting effect works well. Unfortunately, however, the scene drags on a lot longer than it should have. Also, while the leading male role was well played, the part for him was not very well written. He was so overly contemplative and sensitive that it seemed like he would have been better suited as a poet in the movie than a ruthless drug dealer. Also, the writer goes at such pains to shows the bodyguard's loyalty that the ending is not as big of a surprise as it could have been. The grace and the storm idea and the grace and wrath of God parallel was a good idea, but it could have been more developed. Despite being somewhat critical I do still have to say that it held my attention for the most part and so I would recommend it.

Trading Women (2003)

no better than a television news show

[20 March 2004]

An investigation of the sex trade in South East Asia. I learned some interesting things from watching but overall I would not recommend this movie. It's no better than watching a 60 minutes investigates on television. The editing and interviews are not very good. There is an uncomfortably long time spent listening to the broken and hardly understandable rambling English of a young girl. The end of the movie is nothing but showing politicians from Washington trying to appear as if they are concerned about the trafficking of women. After the movie, however, I did feel that I had a better understanding of some of the political and social situation in South East Asia.

The Weather Underground (2002)

excellent depiction of the 1960s - 1970s

[20 March 2004]

The Weather Underground is the story of a radical movement in the late 1960s that sought to overthrow the US government. The weather underground was a militant faction of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) that carried out a series of bombings on facilities throughout the US. The fascinating thing about the movie is to hear the rationalizations of those involved and how they view their actions in retrospect. Many of those involved in the movement are interviewed and at the end it gives a short synopsis of the directions their lives took after the end of the movement. While some of them expressed regret others did not and continued to be political activists The Weather Underground is an interesting and informational depiction of one of the most turbulent times in US history.

The Corporation (2003)

good, if you lean to the left

[17 March 2004]

A thought provoking film and worthwhile. It is, however, intended for a particular audience. Corporations are more or less demonized. For example, Noam Chomsky draws a parallel between the corporate world and slavery. Before the civil war there could be slave owners who were nice and caring towards those in the community. When they were playing their institutional role as slave owner, however, they were necessarily evil because the institution was evil. The same with CEOs. They can be nice people in their interactions with others but when they are playing their institutional role they are evil because the institution is evil. Another segment is on the link between US corporations and Nazi Germany. The film ends on the uplifting note that people can make a difference in the battle against corporate interests. I would guess the film would only be well received by those that are firmly on the left politically. Interesting film, but I have the feeling that for those who choose to go to see it, it will be preaching to the choir.

The Animation Show (2003)

Good think pieces, weak on the comedy

[28 February 2004]

A collection of nineteen animated films. `Das Rad' is the story of the rise and fall of the human civilization as witnessed by two rocks. At the end conditions return to how they were before man and the human existence is seen as only one part of the cycle of the world. `Parking' is about a man who has a pristine parking lot ready to open when he discovers a weed. In his battle with the weed the parking lot is never opened. The moral of the story: keep the big picture in mind and don't get consumed by the details. Another, which is a look into the afterlife, depicts the torture of an inescapable eternity. A soldier who finds himself in heaven tries to kill himself, which takes him to purgatory, again tries to kill himself and ends up in hell where he is out of bullets. Last of my favorites was a Japanese cartoon in which a man who saves everything he finds grows a tree out of his head. People begin to live there. When he gets angry at their excesses he tears the trees from its roots creating a hole. But the hole gathers water and people still congregate. In the end the man, who is the symbolic conservationist, dies from the excesses of the people leading to the ultimate demise of nature. Some of the comedy pieces I didn't think were very funny but overall I would recommend seeing this for the above-mentioned films.